Sara S.
Photography by Caroline MacLaren
If you’re reading this, cherish every moment.
Those words may have no impact on you, and just might be a phrase you have heard before and brushed off. However, I am here to emphasize to please, cherish every moment.
I think we have all heard the sayings, ‘life is too short’ and ‘live each day like it’s your last,’ but does anyone really do that? Do we go about our day and make decisions living like it is our last day? Before June 19th of 2020, I would say I cared more about the silly, non-important things in life than anything actually worthwhile. Maybe you guys can agree with me, and maybe this message will help change your life the way it did mine.
On June 19th 2020, my dear friend Meghan’s older sister Emily tragically died. She died just two days after her 21st birthday. She died because someone else thought the phone was more important than anything else in the world. They thought using their phone was more important than a human life. It breaks my heart to see my friend and her family continue on with their lives without a vital part of their family. Emily was kind, caring, and lit up any room she walked into with her beautiful smile. She truly cherished any and every moment that was given to her. Every second of her life, she lived with grace, compassion, and joy. She was supposed to graduate from University of Michigan last spring. She had a loving boyfriend, loving friends and an even more loving family. To hear the news that such an amazing girl was taken from this Earth because of someone else’s idiotic choices was upsetting in more ways than I can put into words.
One person decided to pick up the phone while driving, and now a family is forever changed.
Emily’s family does everything in her honor, and that is why I wrote this letter, in her honor. They chose the saying, “cherish every moment” in honor of Emily because that is what she did without question, each and every day. It’s sad that it took such an innocent life to be lost for many to realize how short life is.
Emily’s passing affected more people than her family could know. The soccer community Emily was a part of, friends of friends, her sorority, her university, etc. It’s not easy to hear that someone so young passed away, even if you didn’t know them. I played soccer with Meghan throughout high school. We traveled the country, won games, and bonded over smoothie bowls. I never knew what to say, only to make sure that she knew that I was there for her no matter what, and that my heart broke for them. It was difficult to know that there was nothing I could do to take their pain away in the slightest. Reaching out to friends that also knew Meghan or calling my older sister was a way for me to talk about it. To talk about Emily, life and death itself, and where to go from there. Grief can either break something apart or bring it closer together, and it certainly brought the people who knew of Emily or knew her as family closer than ever.
Honoring and celebrating Emily’s life is now something we all do daily, together, even if we are not in the same room. It brought me and my sister closer than ever, and it brought Emily’s family closer than ever. Leaning on others is a huge part of experiencing grief and loss. You should never have to deal with grief alone. Whether it’s talking to a friend, or getting professional help, you are not alone.
We truly do not know what we have until it’s gone. No one understands the effects of grief until they go through it themselves, especially when something happens so suddenly. I am here to tell you that you have no idea what the future holds. You have no idea what tomorrow brings. That is why you must cherish every moment.
Life is too short to stress about whether that person is going to text you back. Life is too short to worry about your waistband size. Life is especially WAY too short to pick up the phone while driving.
Life is filled with uncertainty. Smile at a stranger, call up an old friend, tell your friends you love them, because you can never guarantee the future.
In loving memory of Emily Victoria Solek (June 17th 1999 - June 19th 2020)
To read more about Emily’s story, go to emilysolek.com
Sara S., Villanova University
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